Yoga Stretches and Strengthening for the Modern Dancer
Stretching and strengthening make the dancer and consequently, the dance. Without a strong yet supple and flexible body there is no dance. The movements meant to be sharp and percussive would be dull, and those meant to be fluid would be jerky and incomplete.
The world sees what the dancer and choreographer want them to see, nothing more and nothing less. The movement may appear to be effortlessly fun on a stage, but the modern dancer knows the whole story is not seen by the audience. It takes a lot of discipline to unite the body and the soul in a work of art called dance.
A great performance shows the marvelous technique and passion of the dancer, but also shares the inner smile, the soul, with all who have the privilege to watch. Yoga is a perfect way to stretch and strengthen the body and connect the heart and soul, the passion, to every movement. Without the passion, the smile from inside would never reach the audience.
Smile from the inside out with these yoga exercises. Remember, Yoga can be practiced every day without risk of over training, as long as you listen to your body.
In the Yogic world it is believed that the pelvis/hips are the gateway to the upper and lower body. Yogis feel that all movement initiates from the hips and that if we keep working this area, we will be as close to the fountain of youth as possible.
To get the most out of these yoga stretches, warm-up first. If you are familiar with Sun Salutations, practice them for about 10 or 15 minutes, or perform any movement, like walking, that raises your body temperature and warms your muscles.
Downward Facing Dog is the quintessential yoga pose. Begin on your hands and knees, with your hands shoulder width apart and your knees hip width apart. Inhale and let your navel drop toward the earth, as your sitz bones lift to the sky. Exhale and lift your hips all the way up, pressing your weight to your heels.
Make sure you have “big” hands, meaning with fingers spread wide and middle finger pointing forward. Save your wrists by drawing your arm bones up out of your wrists and back into your shoulder joints.
Downward Facing Dog is a super strengthening pose for the entire body, but also a rest pose. It opens the back of the body, and functions as a transition pose in Yoga.
Now, let’s take the pup to the sky into a split dog, by floating your right leg out from the hip and up to sun. Go for maximum strength and roll forward to a three-point plank. Are you ready to intensify? Float your right leg out to the side and let it “hang” mid-air. You are in a plank position, abs engaged (flat back), with your upper body working hard.
Next, float the right leg up and back to your split dog and bring the right foot back to the floor, resting for three breaths in Downward Facing Dog. Repeat with the left leg.
In dance, open hips are vital to a great performance. In Yoga, it is believed that open hips symbolize freedom from emotional baggage. Yogis feel that head and heart angst is stored in the hips (and hamstrings), creating tightness.
The Yogic world also believes that the pelvis/hips are the gateway to the upper and lower body. Certainly, many dance movements center on the freedom of the pelvis. Either way, hip openers are important to both forms.
Baddha Konasana, or Butterfly, is a classic, gentle yoga stretch that can be done sitting up or lying on your back, with legs up or down on the floor. All are great for opening the groin/inner thigh/hip joint.
Let’s start sitting up, with the soles of the feet together and drawn in toward the perineum. Open your knees so that they are pressing to, or toward the floor.
Lengthen your torso and remember to flatten your back by drawing your shoulder blades toward each other and down your back. Next, lead with your sternum (your heart center in Yoga) floating up and out from the pelvis, and fold over toward your feet. Can you kiss your feet? Or blow them a kiss?
We want to be able to kiss our feet, as that allows for the most opening in the hips. Feet are so important to the dance that it is nice to show gratitude with a kiss.
Hold Butterfly for at least three minutes, then release and shake out your legs.
In Butterfly, if your hips are happy (open), your knees will touch the floor or be close to the floor. The higher your knees are, as in, away from the floor, the tighter your hips. There are many wonderful hip openers in Yoga. We could do a whole issue on just opening hips…maybe another time.
Now, let’s move on to Cow Face, or Gomukhasana, for a more intense hip stretch. Begin on all fours (table) and bring the right knee in front of the left. Move the feet and lower legs apart (they are behind you) to create a nice space in between the feet. Sit down in this space. Your right knee should be stacked on top of your left knee.
Press the tops of your feet into the floor, your sitz bones into the earth, and your knees toward the floor as well. Keep your knees pressing down as you distribute your weight evenly into both sitz bones. You can rest your hands lightly on your feet.
As you keep your focus on pressing your knees down toward the floor, flatten your back and hinge forward from the hips, folding over your legs. Hold for three minutes.
To intensify, gently bring your lower legs and feet forward (away from your torso). To make this pose less intense, put a folded blanket under your tailbone.
Unwind your legs and take a nice backbend as a counter pose. Let’s do Camel (Ustrasana).
Start upright on your knees. Your knees are directly under your hips (space between your legs). Lift your torso up, out of your hips (but keep your shoulder blades down), and focus on creating space between each vertebra.
Reach both arms forward and up, then slowly circle them behind you so that the palms rest on the soles of the feet, respectively. Keep lifting the hip bones, navel and sternum forward and up. Hold for three minutes.
To modify: Try one arm and hand at a time. Or, place your hands on your lower back.
Ok, time to go back to hips.
The ultimate hip opener is Hanumasana, or better known as splits.
Begin in a low lunge (Crescent Lunge), with the back leg on the floor. Let’s open the hamstring dynamically a bit before jumping into a split.
Straighten the front leg, flexing the foot and lifting the buttocks up as they move back. Square your hips to the front. Hold for five complete breaths and release to the lunge. Repeat.
Now slide the front leg forward as you float down into the split. Hold for at least three minutes.
To modify: Use a yoga block or bolster, and place under the front leg, close to the hip. I prefer a block as you can lower the block for progress during the hold. Repeat on the other side.
Everyone in the world is asymmetrical. For example, one hip may be looser than the other. Make sure you challenge the looser hip and show a little compassion to the tighter one.
By being present and focused your feelings and energy will merge, creating a truly great performance. Namaste.